Prophecies of Mystery
by MisunderstoodDreamer7
Summary: This is the sequel to my Rising Sun story, so if you haven't read that one first, I suggest you dont' read this one because you'll be lost. Reviews make my day. :
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, and probably never will. It belongs to Erin Hunter. Please don't sue me.**

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Prophecies of Mystery

Prologue

The night was still and dark. Very dark. As dark as it had ever been. There was no moon out, and clouds covered the sky. A small tortoishell cat lay stretched out on the ground. She gently nuzzled three kits squirming by her belly, emitting pitiful sounds into the night air. She licked them desperately, trying to keep them alive. She had run out of milk earlier, and now her kits were starving. A faint rustling overhead made the cat look up. A large owl circled over head. The she-cat hissed and covered her kits, in an attempt to protect them from the predator. The she-cat was so busy with the owl, that she didn't notice the other sounds around her. The bushes stirred behind her, and a pair of yellow eyes glistened in the dark. A cat stepped out of the bushes and stalked toward the cringing she-cat. He let out a low hiss and leapt at her, landing squarely on her shoulders. She yowled, and rolled sideways to avoid crushing her precious kits. The tom easily rolled her over and pinned her to the mossy ground. He bent his head and whispered in her ear, "I can save your kits. I will take them and yourself back to my clan and your kits will be able to eat, and live. But it will cost you."

The she-cat squirmed underneath him, his weight crushing her. Fighting for breath, she gasped, "I will do what ever you want, just save my kits, please."

The tom grinned, his teeth white against the black of night. He growled his approval and got off the cat. He padded over to where the kits lay huddled on the ground and grasped one in his jaws. The she-cat grabbed another one, and looked at the tom to get the last one. He padded over and picked up the other kit. He flicked his tail for the she-cat to follow, and led the way into the bushes, with the she-cat close behind.

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**Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

Chp. 1

Mossfire breathed slowly and quietly, asleep in the middle of camp. She felt Watereyes stir next to her and peaked open her eyes. It was barley dawn, and the sun was just rising so that the sky was pinkish. She stretched and got up, shaking herself awake. She saw Birchstorm and Rippedpelt standing guard near the entrance and padded over to them. Birchstorm's eyes lit up when he saw her, and she purred when she reached them. They both nodded to her and Birchstorm swept his tongue over her ear. She purred again, and padded over to where Grayheart lay from the night before. She prodded her in the side, and motioned for her to get up. "Whas happe..." she started, but Mossfire flicked her tail over her mouth before she could say anymore. They were sitting vigil for their warrior ceremony the previous night, and weren't allowed to talk. Mossfire, Watereyes, and Grayheart had all fallen asleep, but thankfully, Birchstorm and Rippedpelt had stayed awake. After the rouge attack the previous day, they weren't taking any chances. Grayheart got up and went over to Watereyes to wake her up. Mossfire padded back over to were Birchstorm and Rippedpelt were, and saw how tired they looked. Rippedpelt was nodding off and Birchstorm gave an enormous yawn that showed all his teeth. Mossfire looked at them sympathetically, and flicked her tail for them to go rest. Birchstorm looked at her as if she was crazy, but she padded over and sat down beside him to show that she could take over. Birchstorm nodded his thanks and slumped away to the warriors den for some sleep. Mossfire flicked her ears at Watereyes to come join her, and settled herself more comfortably on the ground. As the sun rose higher, the rest of the clan started to wake as well. Foxclaw emerged from the warriors den and padded over to where the three she-cats sat. "Good morning." he meowed looking at them. They all nodded, and went on guarding and looking serious. "It's all right, you can talk now." Foxclaw purred, his eyes sparkling with amusement. It was an immediate reaction. All the she-cat sighed and relaxed their bodies. "Finally! I thought we would never be able to speak!" Watereyes said, curling and uncurling her tail. "I know what you mean." Mossfire said, padding over to the fresh-kill pile. She grabbed two mice, a thrush, a magpie, and dropped them in front of Watereyes and Grayheart. "I hope you don't expect us to eat all that." Grayheart said, looking down at the prey as if it were an unappealing creature. "No. Some is for us, and some is for Birchstorm." Mossfire said, picking out a mouse. Just as she had expected, Grayheart and Watereyes chimed together their usual 'awww!' when it came to her and Birchstorm. She had learned to ignore it by now, and padded over to the warriors den. Rippedpelt was sitting outside, as if still on guard duty. "Hi Rippedpelt. Have fun last night?" Mossfire asked as she approached. "Yes. While you three were sleeping, Birchstorm and I were guarding the camp from rouges."

Mossfire scoffed. "Do you really think the rouges would come back after dealing with us?"

"It's a possibility."

Mossfire shook her head and said in a much softer voice, "Well, thank you. Do you want something to eat? You look really tired."

Rippedpelt shook his head and said, "I can get my own food by myself, thanks. And I'm not tired."

Mossfire smirked and flicked her tail over his shoulder in a teasing way. "Of course you're not. I guess your eyes are red and glazed, because you're in love."

Rippedpelt swung his head around and glared at her. He growled in a low voice, "I am not in love with anyone."

Mossfire twitched her tail and said, "Calm down, I was just joking. Really Rippedpelt, sometimes you take things to seriously."

Rippedpelt twitched his ears and mewed in a low voice, "I'm going to go get something to eat." He padded over to where Grayheart and Watereyes were eating and took a squirrel. Mossfire sighed and padded into the den. Birchstorm lay curled up in a corner by himself. Mossfire padded quietly over to him and dropped the mouse next to him. She padded out and back over to Watereyes. Grayheart had disappeared, and Rippedpelt had slipped off to the medicine cat den for something. Mossfire plopped down and bit into her mouse. Watereyes watched her for what seemed forever, until Mossfire finally meowed, "What?"

"Nothing. Just watching you eat." Watereyes said, shaking her head. "Oh, Snowface wants us to patrol the borders to make sure the rouges have gone, so hurry up."

Mossfire finished her mouse quickly and bounded after Watereyes. They sat in the training hollow, and waited for Snowface. He arrived shortly after with Nettlefur. "Good morning!" they said. "Have a good vigil last night?" Snowface asked, turning towards their Shadowclan border. Mossfire and Watereyes both nodded their heads, and fell in behind him. They sniffed each leaf, searching for any trace of rouge. But all was stale, except for a fresh scent of some strange cat. "Do you think it's the rouges again?" Watereyes asked, searching the surrounding bushes for any sign of the evil cats. Mossfire sniffed the scent and shook her head. "No, I would know if it was. It's probably just some loner or something."

Watereyes nodded and said "Yeah."

They headed back, and Snowface explained that once they had gotten some good sleep, they needed to go out on a hunting patrol. Then they would probably need to check the borders again. Watereyes groaned at having to do so much, but Mossfire didn't mind. Nothing could dampen her spirits. Tomorrow was the Gathering.


	3. Chapter 2

Chp 2

The cool night air flowed through Mossfire's orange fur. She raced after her clan mates on the way to the Gathering. Watereyes and Grayheart appeared besides her. "What do you think Riverclan will want in return for helping us?" Watereyes asked, skirting a bush.

"Who says they'll ask for anything?" Grayheart replied looking over at the blue she-cat.

"Come on." Watereyes scoffed. "Knowing Riverclan, they'll want something. What do you think Mossfire?"

Mossfire shrugged and jump and log. Landing on the other side, she said, "Well just have to wait and see." The reached the edge of the clearing and stopped waiting for Silverstar's signal. Mossfire could smell Windclan and Shadowclan already here. Riverclan was late. Silverstar twitched her tail and the Thunderclan cats poured into the hollow. Mossfire skidded to a halt by one of the trees and looked around. Watereyes stared around and said, "I'm going to find some other warriors and talk to them. Coming Grayheart?" Grayheart nodded and fell instep beside her. Mossfire ran up behind them, but Watereyes turned and smirked, "I think someone else is looking for you Mossy." Mossfire turned and saw Birchstorm trotting over to her. "Have a good Gathering love birds." Watereyes purred and padded off, her tail twitching. Mossfire sighed and turned towards the other clans. She heard Birchstorm behind her and flicked her tail for him to join her. She weaved her way through the cats with Birchstorm beside her looking for someone to talk to. She spotted three Windclan cats in a group and trotted over to them. "Hello. I'm Mossfire." Mossfire said coming to stand next to them. The tortoiseshell tom turned and said, "My names Hawkpelt."

"Sparrowpelt." a blue-grey she-cat purred.

"I'm Tawny..." the calico tom began, but Mossfire gasp interrupted him. She had seen him before. He was the one leading the patrol that had attacked them when they were heading back from the Moonstone as apprentices.

"You're the one that attacked us!" Birchstorm growled, his fur bristling.

"Yeah, and you might want to take it easy. Gatherings are supposed to be peaceful, remember?" Tawnyear meowed coolly. Birchstorm relaxed but kept glaring at the tom.

"Anyway, that's behind us now." Sparrowpelt meowed. "We're here to talk as friends."

Mossfire nodded and settled down beside them. Awhile later, Grayheart padded up to them and said, "Hey guys, Riverclan got here, and..." she stopped and stared at Tawnyear. Watereyes padded up next to them and nudged Grayheart. "Hey mousebrain. Are you frozen or something?" she laughed at her joke, but her laughter died quickly. She too had seen Tawnyear and fluffed up her fur. "You're the one who attacked us and almost had one of your warriors kill me!" she spat.

"Does everyone remember this and hold a grudge or something?!" Tawnyear said, looking around.

Mossfire touched Watereyes shoulder, and whispered something to her. Watereyes growled and let her fur lie flat. She turned and stalked away to a group of Riverclan cats. Mossfire shook her head and nodded to the Windclan cats in good by. Grayheart, Birchstorm and her left to go over to a group of bushes to watch the meeting. Just as they settled down, Gorsestar stood up to start. "Windclan has had a good prey and no problems. One of our warriors, Thrushfoot was killed a week ago by a fox. We chased it out of our territory, and it went out into the farms. We have three new warriors, Heatherstorm, Thornclaw, and Dappleface. We also have four new apprentices." Gorsestar sat down again and looked to Silverstar to speak. Silverstar stood stiffly and spoke, "Thunderclan was recently attacked by rouges. We were able to fight them for awhile, but if Riverclan hadn't shown up, we would have been in trouble." She turned to Reedstar and said, "Thunderclan is in your debt for helping us." Reedstar nodded and waited for Silverstar to continue.

"Thunderclan is strong again and we have five new warriors. Rippedpelt, Grayheart, Mossfire, Watereyes, and Birchstorm." Silverstar stepped back and let Reedstar speak. "Riverclan is doing fine, the prey is running good..." Rippedpelt slipped over to them and sat down next to Grayheart. "Seems like Windclan forgot to mention the attack on our group coming back from Moonstone, huh?"

They all three nodded and continued listening. "...have three new warriors," Reedstar was saying, "Owlclaw, Brambleeyes, and Pebblepelt." Mossfire saw the cream tom sitting next to Watereys stand a little taller. Reedstar had stepped back and now Ravenstar was speaking. "Prey is running scarce in Shadowclan. We barley have enough to feed our queens and elders, let alone our warriors. We ask Thunderclan to give us some of their territory so we can hunt and have more prey." There was an angry outburst form the group of Thunderclan cats bellow. Silverstar leapt up and stalked up to Ravenstar. "All the clans have had to go through times of hardship and suffer from lose of food. Why should now be any different? You're warriors looked fed enough to me, and what has Shadowclan ever given to us when we needed it?"

Ravenstar growled barley audible, "We've given Thunderclan peace." The Thunderclan cats were on there paws now, yowling up at Ravenstar. Some of the cats from the other clans were standing as well. "Enough!" Silverstar shouted over the commotion. She whipped her head to face Ravenstar and hissed, "Thunderclan will never give you territory." She sat back down and glared at Ravenstar. He gapped at her, then cried, "You will give us that territory Silverstar! Eventually you will." He leapt down the rock and signaled for his warriors. Shadowclan disappeared into their territory without another word. Immediately, the clans started breaking up and going to their own clan mates. Silverstar jumped down and stalked towards the edge of the hollow. Mossfire began to follow with Grayheart while Rippedpelt and Birchstorm ran ahead to speak to some of the older warriors. "Wait, where's Watereyes?" Mossfire said stopping and turning around. Watereyes was pushing her way through the throng of cats, trying to get to her own clan. "Where've you been?" Mossfire asked, starting back up the hollow. "Saying good-bye to Pebblefoot." she panted, licking her chest fur. Mossfire grinned. Now it was her turn to get at Watereyes. "Aww! Watereyes is in wove!"

"Yeah right, in your dreams maybe. Toms are stupid. I'm not like Mossfire here who goes gaga over a tom like Birchstorm." Mossfire flattened her ears and spat a retort.

Watereyes shrugged. "I just think he's cool, smart, funny..."

"Ahh! Mossfire was right! You are in love!" Grayheart teased, squinting her eyes to look at Watereyes. She batted the gray cat and said, "You wish. What tom do you like Grayheart?"

"None." she answered simply. The three friends padded on in silence for awhile, then Grayheart spoke, "Well, I was expecting Riverclan to demand something, but Shadowclan?"

"Your surprised?" Mossfire said, looking down at her paws. "Shadowclans always wanted territory from another clan. I'm sure they're over there rolling in prey. They just want to expand their territory." Watereyes grunted in agreement.

"Those are pretty serious accusations there." Mossfire turned her head and saw Foxclaw behind them.

"You think they really need more prey?" Mossfire asked scrutinizingly.

"You're mad!" Watereyes croaked, pawing at a pebble on the ground.

"I never said I did, I'm just saying," Foxclaw paused by them. "You don't want to go saying that out loud. Someone might get the wrong idea and challenge Shadowclan."

"Good." Watereyes said under her breath.

"No, not good." Foxclaw meowed. "The last thing we need is a fight with Shadowclan over borders. Understand?"

All three nodded and watched the senior warrior pad off to the front of the group.

All around her was dark. The darkest she had ever seen it. Mossfire crouched in the darkness, shivering slightly. Where was she? She looked in front of her and saw a small light. Was this her way out? She got up and started running for the light. Cold air tore at her fur and froze her lungs. She kept running though as the light got bigger and brighter. Soon, it was engulfing her. She kept on running, intent on reaching the end of it. Suddenly she was falling. She yowled out, but it was soundless. She twisted and saw Lionheart falling with her, but it looked like he was standing. A fire orange cat stood next to him. The cat looked at her and she was shocked at how much he looked like her. Lionheart spoke, breaking the silence. "Mossfire, meet Firestar, Leader of Thunderclan from many moons ago." Firestar nodded to her, and then they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Mossfire looked bellow her and gasped. Stars swam far bellow her. She looked back up and saw stars above her as well. She looked back down and saw that the starry ground was coming closer quickly. She was gaining speed, and she closed her eyes, preparing to hit. What she did hit though wasn't ground. She felt as though she had been plunged into cool water. She opened her eyes to find herself floating in a sea of stars. All around her was like water, but she could breath, and she wasn't drowning. She was suspended in star water which flowed through her fur like air. She looked around her and saw Firestar standing above her.

"Beware the enemy in disguise. You're time is coming Mossfire."

He rippled, then disappeared leaving nothing but empty space. "Wait! What do you mean?" she called out, but there was no reply. She looked around frantically for some sign of a Starclan cat, but there was nothing. Suddenly, she felt herself rushing up, out of the star water and into the night sky. She soared higher and higher and she saw two yellow eyes staring at her from above. Suddenly, the became part of a cat that leapt at her, mouth open, fangs gleaming white in the darkness. It came at her with a deafening roar. Mossfire screwed up her eyes and felt a cold wetness wash over her that had nothing to do with star water.

Mossfire jerked awake panting heavily. She was lying in the warriors den, and outside it was raining and thundering. Mossfire gasped for breath and looked around. Her clan mates were all sleeping peacefully. She relaxed a little and turned around more comfortably in her sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the clan was being watched by someone or something. And that thing was not a friend.


	4. Chapter 3

Chp. 3

"Borage, yarrow, chivary, and coltsfoot." Spottedpaw listed off again. Mossfire had offered to collect herbs with her to get out of camp some. She was still haunted by her dream from the previous night and needed to talk to her sister some. "Will you know what they will look like Mossfire?" Spottedpaw asked.

"Probably not, but I can ask you." Mossfire said, looking around her. She still couldn't shake off the feeling that the clan was being watched. "So," Mossfire started while searching the bushes for herbs. "I had this dream last night,"

Spottedpaw turned to look at Mossfire, concern filling her amber eyes. "It was another message from Starclan wasn't it."

Mossfire nodded and padded on. "It was another prophecy. And it scared me. It had to do with an enemy that we couldn't see. It was 'in disguise'." Mossfire said, sniffing a funny looking plant. She pointed at it with her tail asking whether it was one they needed. Spottedpaw shook her head and moved on. "Starclan has been sending Moonfire and me dreams too. They didn't tell us anything, but it was all dark and we could just see yellow eyes staring at us."

"Mine had yellow eyes too!" Mossfire said, stopping as she remembered the eyes that had formed into a cat. She ran to catch up to her sister, and asked, "What do you think it means?" Spottedpaw grabbed the stem of some coltsfoot and pulled it out of the ground. "Exactly what it said. We need to watch out for an enemy that we can't see." she padded off towards some borage. She dug it up and put it next to the coltsfoot. Mossfire pulled at some more and mewed, "Should we tell Silverstar?"

Spottedpaw looked thoughtful for a moment then meowed, "No. I think we should wait. It could happen later on. It doesn't necessarily mean it will happen soon. I'll tell Moonfire what you told me though. She'll want to know." she stopped and tore the leaves off a yarrow plant. Mossfire sat and watched her, then meowed, "Why aren't you a medicine cat yet?" Spottedpaw paused and looked around before answering. "I don't know everything yet. I don't know all the herbs, or all the herbs effects, or the right remedies and cures for stuff."

"But your a great medicine cat apprentice! You can heal wounds and you know so many herbs!" Spottedpaw shook her head and smiled. "That's under Moonfur's instruction. I still have a lot to learn."

Mossfire looked down at the ground and then looked back up at her sister and said, "Well, whenever you become a medicine cat, I'm sure you'll be a great one." Spottedpaw purred and continued on looking for herbs. Mossfire got up and helped her, Letting her mind wander, more than happy to escape the thoughts crowding it.

"Closer, closer." Mossfire thought, creeping up on a sparrow. "Pounce!" She leapt and caught it on the wing. She brought it down and buried it by a tree. "Nicely done Mossfire!" Snowface purred, watching from a distance. She was on hunting patrol with Birchstorm and Snowface. She purred her thanks then turned and scented for more prey. Birchstorm appeared from behind a tree and went over to her side. "Good catch." he said licking her ear. She smiled, then crouched down in the bushes and began to creep towards the sound of a mouse. Birchstorm followed right by her, his pelt brushing hers. She spotted the creature sitting barley three tail lengths away. She crouched even lower and wriggled her haunches slightly. She leapt, but Birchstorm had also leapt with her, knocking her off balance. She landed behind the mouse, but not close enough to catch it. Is sat up and ran off into the tree roots where it would be safe. Birchstorm went up to the place where the mouse had disappeared and meowed, "It got away. The next one won't though." Mossfire sighed and decided against telling the brown warrior that it was his fault it got away. She leapt up onto a low tree branch and looked down into the bushes. In an instant, Birchstorm was right next to her, hardly giving her any room to move. She caught sight of a water vole bellow and crouched, preparing to jump. Birchstorm swished his tail from side to side, hitting Mossfire's flank each time. She ignored it and focused on the prey bellow. She jumped, but Birchstorm had propelled himself off with her, shaking the branch and causing Mossfire to loose her footing. She scrambled in the air for a moment then plummeted to the ground. She landed with a thud on her side and lay still for a moment letting air return to her lungs.

"Mossfire!" Birchstorm ran over to her and crouched by her side.

"I'm fine." she mumbled standing up and shaking dust off her coat. Why did Birchstorm have to be such a worry-wart about her? Didn't he know she could take care of herself?

"Where's the vole?" she asked sniffing at the ground.

"It ran off when you hit the ground." Birchstorm meowed, scanning the bushes behind them. "You need to probably get better jumps from now on." he said staring at her. Mossfire twitched her tail and growled, "I would have gotten a good jump if you hadn't jumped with me."

Birchstorm looked down at his paws and mumbled a sorry. Mossfire sighed and continued on her way. That was now two pieces of prey she had lost because of Birchstorm. She would not loose the next one though. She padded silently through the undergrowth, opening her mouth every so often to take in the scents. She looked back once, hoping Birchstorm had gone off to hunt his own prey, but he was only several tail lengths behind her. She growled under her breath and crouched down in a bush. She could smell a mouse a few fox lengths away and quietly crept towards it. As she moved out of the bush, she saw Birchstorm follow behind. She ignored him and focused on the prey. She heard a snapping twig and turned. Birchstorm had left and gone a different way. "Good, maybe now I can catch the mouse." she thought. She crept closer still and settled herself only a few tail lengths away from the animal. She bunched her muscles and pounced. She heard a noise from the bushes beside her when she was in midair and looked over to see Birchstorm flying through the air towards her. He crashed into her and they both landed with a thud, causing the mouse to scamper into it's burrow. Mossfire got up and shook herself. She had been so close and then Birchstorm messed it up again.

"Dang. We almost had that mouse." he said padding next to Mossfire. Mossfire laid her ears back and turned to face him. "No, I almost had that mouse. If it wasn't for you, I would have caught it. I would have also caught the vole and the other mouse as well!" she hissed, lashing her tail. "You're always right next to me and it's annoying. I can take care of myself and I don't need you always looking after me!" She had had enough of him always by her side, barley giving her any room to do anything. She turned and ran back towards the spot where Snowface was, leaving Birchstorm to stair after her.

Mossfire padded back into camp with her prey. She had managed to catch a mouse and a squirrel on her way back. She dropped it in the fresh-kill, keeping the mouse for herself and padding over to where Grayheart and Watereyes sat. "How was hunting?" Grayheart meowed, nibbling at her thrush.

"Fine." Mossfire answered dimly. She didn't want to talk about what had happened during hunting. "Oh look." crooned Watereyes looking towards the entrance. "Here comes Birchstorm." Mossfire looked over to she the light brown and white warrior padding towards them. He caught site of Mossfire and quickly turned away and went over to Rippedpelt. Mossfire turned her head the other way and tore into her mouse. Watereyes and Grayheart looked at her, then Grayheart asked, "What's wrong with you and Birchstorm?"

"Nothing." Mossfire answered simply, finishing her mouse and standing up. "I'm really tired so I'm going to go ahead and go get some sleep." Mossfire mewed, turning and padding off to the den. She could feel Watereyes and Grayhearts eyes on her, but she didn't turn around. When she reached the den, she chose a nest next to Grayheart instead of her usual one in between Birchstorm and Swiftstump. She curled into a tight ball and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

Chp. 4

Mossfire woke early the next morning. She got up and started washing herself. She turned her head to reach her side and saw Birchstorm's brown eyes staring at her. As soon as she looked at him, he closed them and pretended to be asleep. Mossfire growled with annoyance and stalked out of the den. She padded over to the fresh-kill pile and found Sagefur eating with Foxclaw. "Good morning Mossfire." Sagefur purred, looking up at her.  
"Good morning." she replied, grabbing a mouse and starting to eat.  
"How do you feel about a Dawn patrol?" Foxclaw asked.  
"Okay." Mossfire answered, tearing into her mouse. "I can get Grayheart to come too, if you want."  
"That would be good. Go wake her so she can eat. We leave soon."  
Mossfire finished her food and padded back to the warriors den. Rippedpelt was already awake and washing himself outside of the den. "Hi." Mossfire mewed, padding past him.  
"Who are you getting?" Rippedpelt asked in between licks.  
"I'm getting Grayheart so she can go on Dawn patrol with us."  
"Oh." Rippedpelt said, lowering his eyes. "I was hoping to...well, never mind." he got up and went over to the fresh-kill pile. Mossfire watched him go, then continued inside. She prodded Grayheart with her paw and said, "We're going on Dawn Patrol. You need to eat so we can leave."  
Grayheart grunted and sat up and began licking her fur. Mossfire backed out and waited for her friend to appear. It wasn't long before Grayheart padded out and followed her into the forest.

"What do you think of Rippedpelt?" Mossfire asked as she and Grayheart padded by the border with Sagefur and Foxclaw. "What?" Grayheart asked, looking at her.  
"I mean, what do you think of him?"  
Grayheart looked at the ground, thinking before responding. "He's nice, a good warrior, and a good friend I guess. Why?"  
"Well," Mossfire said, stopping to mark the border with Windclan before heading on to the Shadowclan border. "I think he likes you."  
Grayheart gave an mrrow of laughter. "Rippedpelt likes me? What makes you think that?"  
"He wanted to do something with you today. I told him I was going on a Dawn patrol with you and he seemed really dejected. He said he had been hoping to do something with you."  
"He said me?"  
"Well, no. Not exactly." Mossfire said uncertainly. "He didn't say you, he said, 'I was hoping to...never mind.'"  
"How do you know he didn't mean you?" Grayheart smirked rubbing against a bush. Mossfire frowned and thought about it. "No. I'm pretty sure he meant you. He knows Birchstorm likes me and wouldn't dare cross his friend like that."  
"And he knows he has no chance with you since you like Birchstorm back, right?"  
Mossfire glared at her friend for bringing that topic up. "I don't like him. He's an annoying little flea, who doesn't know when to stop bothering you. I don't like him." Mossfire repeated it as if to get the point across. Grayheart smiled and shook her head and said, "Either way, I don't think he likes me. And I have no feeling for him back. We're just friends."  
Mossfire sighed and continued along down the border. They caught up to Foxclaw and Sagefur closer to the end of the Shadowclan border. "Do you smell that?" Grayheart asked, stopping and sniffing the air.  
"Yeah, it's Shadowclan Grayheart." Mossfire meowed, looking over her shoulder at her friend. Grayheart looked worried. "But it's a strong Shadowclan scent, and there's another scent with it."  
Foxclaw, Sagefur, and Mossfire all stopped and sniffed the air. "You're right Grayheart." Foxclaw meowed. "The Shadowclan scent is stronger that it should be and there's another scent."  
Mossfire looked around. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. She pricked her ears and tried to make out any sounds besides the normal forest ones.  
"Over there!" Sagefur called, pointing with his tail to where two Shadowclan cats were running towards the border. "After them!" Foxclaw cried, letting out a battle screech as he did so. Mossfire pelted after them. They were far ahead and likely to reach the border and cross to safety before any of the Thunderclan cats would get there, but they would let the trespassers know that they were not playing around. The two cats raced across the border and across the Thunderpath just as a monster came hurtling by. Mossfire skidded to a halt and stood panting there as Foxclaw came to stand next to her. "They got away." she said ruefully. She sheathed her claws again, disappointed that they hadn't anything to scratch. "Yes, but we'll tell Silverstar and keep an eye out for them. I don't suspect they'll be coming back anytime soon." Foxclaw said, staring across the border. "Lets get back to camp." Mossfire turned and saw Grayheart come rushing out of the bushes. "Come look what we found!" She said breathlessly. They raced after her and came into a small clearing where Sagefur was standing over the form of a cat. Mossfire warily approached and saw it was a young female tortoiseshell cat. She had a collar around her neck, indicating that she was a kittypet. "What's a kittypet doing all the way out here? They normally don't go this far into our territory." Grayheart asked.  
"My guess is she was chased by the two Shadowclan cats. She reeks of that place." Sagefur commented. "Lets take her back to camp and tell Silverstar. We can't just leave her out her." he said seeing Mossfire and Grayhearts expressions. "Okay. Grayheart, you get her neck, and Mossfire get her tail. We'll take her back to camp and see what Silverstar wants done with her." Foxclaw said sighing and taking up a position in front of them while Sagefur brought up the rear.


	6. Chapter 5

Chp. 5  
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" The yowl rang out across the clearing, bringing all cats to sit below Silverstar. "We have news from our Dawn Patrol that Shadowclan was on our side of the territory this morning."  
Growls and hisses issued from the cats surrounding the Highrock. "They said they wanted to expand their territory!" Swiftstump called out, her ears flat.  
"They chased them off, but I want more frequent patrols along the Shadowclan border from now on." Silverstar ordered. "We will not let them have our territory!"  
Yowls of agreement burst through the clearing as the assembled cats stood up and voiced they're anger.  
"Silverstar's getting pretty good at giving speeches and rallying the clan huh?" Grayheart muttered to Mossfire.  
"Well, she's had more than ten years experience. It's about time." Watereyes answered on Mossfire's other side. Mossfire just nodded. She wanted to hear about the kittypet.  
Silverstar waited for the cries to die down before saying, "The patrol also found a kittypet on our territory shortly after finding the Shadowclan cats." More outraged cries issued from the clan. Shadowclan was bad enough, but now a kittypet was on there territory too? Silverstar silenced them with her tail and continued. "She is unconscious, but once she's awake, we will find out where she came from and why she's here." she leapt down and muttered something to Moonfur who was standing close by before padding into her den.  
Mossfire sighed with tiredness and stood up to go to the warrior den. Her eyes caught Spottedpaw talking to one of the other warriors, and she started over to say hi to her sister, but she stopped when she say who Spottedpaw was talking with. Birchstorm was whispering with her, looking worriedly around. His gaze caught on her and Spottedpaw turned to look at her as well. Mossfire was frozen. What could they be talking about? She was sorely tempted to go over and find out, but the presence of Birchstorm kept her away. She nodded to her sister and glared at Birchstorm before stalking into the den. She plopped down in her nest, exhaustion and confusion overwhelming her. She lay her head on her paws and tried to calm her mind before falling asleep.

When Mossfire awoke, late afternoon sunlight was streaming through the entrance. She stretched and washed herself before padding out into the camp clearing. The fresh-kill pile had been stocked and patrols had been sent out already, so the remaining cats were lounging about, sharing tongues and talking. She didn't see any of her friends, and guessed they must be on patrol or hunting again. She saw Silverstar slip out of her den with Moonfur and Spottedpaw. Mossfire started towards them, but was interrupted when Silverstar called the clan together again. Mossfire padded forward and sat down next to Wildheart and Rabbittail. "Silverstar is calling a meeting with half the clan gone?" she asked.  
"She'll tell the rest of them once they get back. It can't be very important since nothings happened since this mornings meeting." Rabbittail meowed, looking up at their leader.  
Silverstar stood at her normal place atop Highrock, with Moonfur and Spottedpaw bellow. "Moonfur has just informed me that the kittypet is awake. She says her name is Peaches and that she was chased over the border by Shadowclan cats." There was murmuring and Mossfire looked over to the medicine cat den to see a tortoiseshell head peeking nervously out.  
"She will be kept her until she is healed and decides to leave." Silverstar said and leapt down. The cats grumbled about what the other clans would say, but accepted their leader's orders anyway.  
Mossfire slipped over to where Spottedpaw sat. "Hi." she meowed casually. Spottedpaw smiled back and motion for her to sit down. Mossfire did so and followed her sister's gaze. They were watching Peaches. "I'm in charge of caring for her." Spottedpaw explained. "She just needs time to relax, and then she says she'll leave."  
Mossfire purred a congratulations and said, "The clan's not to happy though."  
Spottedpaw frowned and shook her head. "No, they're not. But we should help anyone that needs it, and Peaches needs it."  
Mossfire nodded and saw the patrols starting to return. She said good-bye to her sister and padded over to Watereyes. "Any signs of Shadowclan?"  
Watereyes shook her head. "Everything was fine. Any news on the kittypet?"  
Mossfire told her what Silverstar had told them and waited for Watereyes's response. "So we're going to keep it?" she asked in disgust.  
"She's not an 'it', and yes, until she decides to leave." Mossfire explained. Watereyes scoffed and stalked over to the fresh-kill pile. Mossfire hesitated and glanced over at the medicine cat den. She had a strange feeling that even under Silverstar's and the medicine cat's protection, Peaches was in for a rough time in the clan.


	7. Chapter 6

Chp. 6

Mossfire padded into camp and dropped her catch on the fresh-kill pile. It had been several days since Peaches had been brought to camp, and by now, some of the cats were starting to warm up to her. Nettlefur was padding towards the medicine cat den with three mice. Mossfire started towards the warrior den to get some sleep. She had been up since dawn hunting, and she was exhausted. She reached the entrance and met Snowface coming out. "Ah, Mossfire. I was just looking for you." he said. "I need you and Grayheart to come on a patrol with me."

Mossfire nodded wearily. She wanted to sleep, but also wanted to help with the patrol. "I'll go find Grayheart and we'll meet you over at the Training Hollow." she continued into the den and over to Grayheart's nest where the gray and white she-cat was sleeping. "Wake up Grayheart." she meowed, prodding her with her paw. Grayheart blinked open her eyes and yawned. "Yes?"

"Snowface wants us to go on patrol with him." she reported, sitting down next to her. Grayheart got up and shook scraps of moss off her fur. "You'd think they could let us rest for a day or so."

"At least you got to sleep; I've been on my paws since dawn." Mossfire yawned. "I've been hunting all day."

Grayheart looked at her friend. "You should be sleeping then, not going on a patrol."

Mossfire shrugged and padded out of the den towards the camp entrance. "We're meeting him at the Training Hollow."

Grayheart nodded and trotted after her.

"Hey!"

They turned around and saw Rippedpelt running after them. "Oh great." Mossfire growled. "Grayheart's lover is here."

Grayheart swished her tail over Mossfire's mouth to silence her. "What is it?" she asked, turning back to Rippedpelt.

"I was just wandering where you were going." he meowed.

Mossfire snorted and turned her back. Not having enough sleep had a bad effect on her.

"We're going on patrol with Snowface. We're supposed to meet him at the Training Hollow, and we don't want to keep him waiting, so we'll talk to you later, okay?" Grayheart explained, turning back towards the entrance.

"Oh...okay. See you later then." Rippedpelt meowed and turned and padded away. Mossfire and Grayheart raced up the ravine and stopped at the top. "What was that about?" Grayheart hissed at her.

Mossfire shrugged and turned in the direction of the Training Hollow. "Nothing. But I told you he likes you."

Grayheart gave a growl of frustration and padded after her, not wanting to start this conversation with Mossfire again. They reached the Training Hollow and saw Snowface sitting in the middle. "Took you long enough." he meowed standing up.

"Yeah, well we had some company meet us on our way out." Mossfire meowed with a glance at Grayheart. Grayheart turned her head away out of frustration and anger. Snowface stared at Mossfire and meowed, "I can tell you're tired. You can go get some sleep as soon as we finish." Mossfire nodded and followed him into the forest. They scented and marked the border and headed towards Sunningrocks. Mossfire kept coming close to nodding off and had to repeatedly find someway of keeping herself awake. She was just about to tell Snowface that she had to go back to camp when she smelled a new scent on the breeze. Immediately, she was awake and alert. Snowface and Grayheart had also smelled it, as they were standing alert and staring in the direction of Sunningrocks. "Oh no." Grayheart breathed. The three bounded through the bushes and skidded to a stop in front of the looming rocks. Several cats sat atop the rocks and glared down at the Thunderclan cats. "Excuse me, but you're on Riverclan territory. I suggest you leave." one of the cats said. Mossfire recognized him as one of the new warriors that had been mentioned at the Gathering. "What?!" Grayheart spat. "This is Thunderclan territory! Sunningrocks is ours!" Another Riverclan cat stepped forward. This one was the deputy, Heavytail. "Not anymore." he said calmly. "We claim Sunningrocks. Silverstar said Riverclan was in your dept, so we take Sunningrocks for helping you with the rouge attack." he laid down and started licking his belly fur, all the while still staring at them, waiting for them to respond. "So that's why you didn't make a demand at the Gathering!" Mossfire hissed. "You were just waiting to take it and wait for us to find out."

"Very good orangey." Heavytail meowed mockingly. Mossfire started towards him, but was held back by Grayheart. Another Riverclan cat's face appeared from behind one of the lower rocks. Mossfire recognized him as the cat Watereyes had been talking to during the Gathering. A new warrior as well. He seemed to be searching to see if they had anymore cats with them. "Heavytail, I'm warning you." Snowface hissed. "Leave Sunningrocks or you will be in for a fight."

"What, you're two warriors against..." he flicked his tail and about five more Riverclan cats appeared."...all my warriors? That hardly seems like a fight to me. More like a massacre." He stood and glared down at them. "Sunningrocks is Riverclans now, and we won't give them up. Thunderclan is in Riverclan's dept, and we claim the rights to Sunningrocks. You can tell Silverstar that."

Snowface growled and turned back towards the camp. He twitched his ears for Mossfire and Grayheart to head back. "This isn't the last of this. We will get Sunningrocks back Heavytail, mark my words. You can tell Reedstar that's from Thunderclan." He raced back into the forest, with Mossfire and Grayheart right behind him. They reached the Training Hollow and sat down. "How dare Riverclan!" Mossfire spat, pacing the hollow. "What gives them the right?"

Grayheart just shook her head and flexed her claws angrily. "We'll let Silverstar know and she'll take care of it." Snowface sighed, standing back up. "Let's get back to camp so we can tell her." He padded towards the camp.

Mossfire and Grayheart entered the camp and headed quickly over to where Watereyes was sharing tongues with Swiftstump. "What's up?" she asked once she had seen the look on their faces. "Well..." Mossfire started, but stopped as Snowface and Silverstar exited the leaders den. Silverstar leapt onto Highrock and called the clan together. "You'll see." Mossfire mewed sitting down next to her.

Silverstar watched as the rest of the clan assembled and yowled, "I have received news from our border patrol that Riverclan has laid claim to Sunningrocks and refuses to give them up." The clan burst into roars of outrage. Their fur was bristling and their ears were laid flat. "What are we going to do?" Swiftstump yowled, standing up with her lips drawn back in a snarl. "We'll let them have it for now, but by the next Gathering, we will have back Sunningrocks!" Silverstar yowled back. "I want constant patrols along there to make sure they don't try to take anymore of our territory." she leapt down and padded back into her den followed by Snowface and Foxclaw. "How could they?" Watereyes mewed, almost more as an actual question than an angry statement. Mossfire shook her head and turned toward the warrior den. "I don't know, but I do know one thing. They have no respect for orange cats or for anyone else in Thunderclan." Watereyes looked about to reject about her comment, but then her face became questioning. "Why do you say that?" Mossfire just shook her head and continued into the den. Heavytail's comment had cut deeper than she dared to show. Grayheart glanced at Watereyes and then flicked her tail for Watereyes to follow her. They followed Mossfire over to the den. Mossfire was about to enter, but was blocked by someone coming out of the den. "Sorry..." she started to say, but then stopped. Birchstorm was standing in front of her, watching her. She turned her head away and growled "Watch it!" before stalking the rest of the way into the den and settled down into her nest. Birchstorm continued watching her, a hurt look in his eyes. Grayheart and Watereyes padded awkwardly past him and settled down next to her. She curled up and put her tail over her nose. It had been a long and frustrating day, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep. Watereyes curled up next to her one side and Grayheart on her other. Mossfire smiled and the three friends shared tongues before drifting to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Chp. 7

The camp the next morning was full of energy. Silverstar had chosen Foxclaw, Mudface, Nighttail, and Firepelt to accompany her to Sunningrocks to see if they could claim it back. Mossfire sat by the fresh-kill pile tearing into a sparrow, all the while watching the clan. Bluefur padded up to her and sat down in front of her. "Hey, can you, Watereyes, and Grayheart go on patrol of the Shadowclan border? There shouldn't be anymore disturbances, but since Peaches, we don't want to take anymore chances." Mossfire nodded her head and quickly finished her sparrow and stood up. She scanned the clearing for her friend, finally spotting them talking to Swiftstump next to the camp entrance. She started over to them, glancing at Birchstorm as she passed him at the warrior den. She turned her head and continued on without another look, and heard Birchstorm sigh behind her. She reached her friends and told them what they were supposed to do. "Okay!" Watereyes meowed, jumping up. "I'm ready for something to do around here!" Mossfire smiled and turned to Grayheart. She was looking over Mossfire's shoulder at something, and Mossfire turned around to see what. Birchstorm had started towards them nervously. He stopped dead when he saw her glaring at him. "What do you want?" she spat at him. He twitched his ears and said, "I heard that you were going on a patrol, and I was wondering if I could come along."

"Well, you can't. It's only the three of us, no toms allowed."

Rippedpelt, who had just padded up probably to ask the same question, stopped short and frowned. "Sorry Rippedpelt." Mossfire meowed more softly. "Maybe next time." She turned back to Birchstorm and glared at him one more time before stalking out of the camp, closely followed by Grayheart and Watereyes.

They padded along in silence for awhile, until they reached the Shadowclan border. As they were scenting for any sign of trespassers, Watereyes spoke up. "So what's going on with you and Birchstorm? You two haven't been all lovey-dovey like you normally are."

"Yeah, and you've been really mean to him lately too." Grayheart put in.

Mossfire scowled, and rubbed up against a bush. "Maybe I'm just sick of him being always around me and being a mouse-brained fool."

Watereyes and Grayheart glanced at each other. "You want to tell us what happened?" Grayheart asked. Mossfire sighed. She didn't want to talk about it really, but Watereyes and Grayheart were her best friends, and she couldn't not tell them. She sat down and told the story of how Birchstorm had cost her three pieces of prey, and just thought it was bad luck. "And he's always right by my side, day and night, and it gets annoying after awhile. I mean, he treats me like I'm a kit and I can't look after myself. I finally told him off." Mossfire finished. She waited for Watereyes and Grayheart to say something, but they just glanced at each other, and then looked back at her. "Well?" she said after a moment.

"Well, I really don't see the need to be that mean to him over some pieces of prey." Grayheart meowed at last. "I mean, they were all accidents."

"It's not the prey that really annoys me. It's the fact that he won't leave me alone."

"What do you expect him to do? He's in love!" Watereyes said. "Of course he wants to look after you. He doesn't want anything bad to happen to you. That's how much he cares."

Mossfire frowned and shook her head. "Well, he needs to learn that I am capable of standing on my own four paws."

Watereyes smirked and meowed, "He knows that, he just wants to be there when you can't stand on your paws."

"And knowing you, that could be whenever you feel like it." Grayheart added, snickering to herself.

"And when did you two become love experts." Mossfire snapped. Grayheart just shrugged, and Watereyes said, "It's a gift I have."

Mossfire sighed and looked up at them, seeing there was no way to win the argument. "So what should I do? Just go up to him and say 'I'm sorry that I got mad at you for making me loose three pieces of prey, and for never letting me out of your sight.'? Cause I'm not apologizing for that." she turned her head stubbornly as if to prove her point.

"Why don't you just apologize for snapping at him and explain why you did it, and try to reach an understanding?" Grayheart suggested.

"Yeah, cause the sooner you two make up, the sooner I can get back to my daily pleasers of teasing." Watereyes meowed with an evil grin.

"Just to avoid that, I might not ever make up with him." Mossfire muttered.

It was just before Sunhigh by the time Mossfire, Watereyes, and Grayheart had finished patrolling the Shadowclan border and reentered camp. They had barely taken five paw steps before there was a yowling at the entrance. All three spun around to see the Sunningrocks patrol file into the camp. All looked exhausted and several carried some wounds. Almost immediately, Moonfur and Spottedpaw were checking over all of them and giving treatment to those few that had injuries. "What happened?" Mossfire inquired curiously as she padded up to her old mentor, Firepelt, followed by Grayheart and Watereyes. "We lost." he mewed in a rough voice. "We arrived, but they were already there, and they greatly outnumbered us. We had to retreat, but not before some of their warriors got some scratches on ours." he paused and smiled. "And ours on some of theirs." Mossfire murmured sympathetically and disappointedly as she ran her tail over his shoulder. Silverstar was sitting a little ways away, and she had a defeated look in her eyes. Moonfur was checking her, while talking to her too. She said something, and Silverstar nodded before standing up and leaping onto Highrock. There was no need to call the clan, since the patrol's arrival had pretty much caused all the clan to gather in the clearing. "Today, we lost the battle for Sunningrocks." Silverstar meowed. Murmurs filled the clearing as the clan contemplated what this could mean. "But there will be many more before we let Riverclan take what is ours!" Silverstar yowled with newfound strength. He energy sparked the clan and cheers and yowled erupted from bellow the Highrock. Silverstar retreated to her den with Snowface and Moonfur behind her.

Mossfire glanced around the clearing and spotted Birchstorm by the elders den. She said good-bye to Firepelt and padded over to him. When he saw her coming, his eyes lit up, but then they clouded over with worry. Mossfire felt a rush of sympathy for him. No wonder he was worried that she was coming over to him of her own accord. She had been pretty mean to him. "Hey, I need to talk to you..." she said and motioned for him to follow her. She padded beside the warriors den in the shade and sat down. He sat next to her, his expression difficult to read, and waited for her to speak. "I'm sorry." she said softly. "I shouldn't have been so nasty to you. You were only trying to help me."

He let out his breath, he seemed to have been holding it, and smiled at her. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten in your way when you were trying to hunt, and I should have taken the blame for the failed catches before now."

Mossfire shrugged and said, "You were only trying to watch out for me, and I'm glad that you care for me that much, but I need my own space. I am capable of looking out for myself you know."

"I know." he purred. "That's what made me so attracted to you." he paused. "It's one of the many things that keeps me attracted to you."

Mossfire purred and licked his ear. Birchstorm rested his muzzle on her head and mewed, "I'll try not to be so clingy from now on and get in your way."

"Thank you." she sighed. "And I'll try not to be a..." she paused and looked up at him."What's a good word or words to describe my behavior? A good insult?"

Birchstorm looked thoughtful for a moment, and then looked lovingly back down at her. "I can't, and won't ever be able to think of an insult for you."

Mossfire purred and licked his cheek as he rested his muzzle back on her head. They stayed there for a long while, before finally deciding to join the clan again.


	9. Chapter 8

Chp. 8

The stars shown bright over head and the wind was still. Mossfire was curled up in the warriors den next to Birchstorm, dreaming about hunting. A noise outside the den caught her attention, and she pricked her ears while still keeping her eyes closed. She heard it again, it sounded like underbrush being moved. She opened her eyes causing them to glow in the darkness. She sat very still listening more intently. She heard it again, slightly louder, and more like brush was being torn throw. She got up quietly, careful not to wake her fellow warriors, and crept out of the den. She angled her ears to where she had heard the sound and padded over in the general direction. She scented the air and was relieved to find that there were no intruder scents, only Thunderclans. She squinted her eyes in the darkness and padded towards the camp wall. She reached it and squinted again in the dark. She saw a dark hole in the wall and went to look at it more carefully. It looked just about big enough for a cat to get through, and judging by the jagged edges of it, Mossfire guessed that it had been done fairly quickly. She was almost certain that whatever had made this hole was what she had heard. She sniffed it and was surprised to find Peaches scent on it. She frowned, confused at why the kittypets scent would be on it. She carefully crawled through, and found the scent led into the forest. Ignoring the voice in the back of her head that said to go get Silverstar or Moonfur, Mossfire followed the scent through the forest. She had been following her scent for awhile, until she had to stop. The scent trail faded there close to the Shadowclan border, and Mossfire couldn't pick it up again. Mossfire frowned to herself and wondered why Peaches was out of camp at this time of night. She shrugged and started back towards camp. She entered through the camp entrance, so that if anyone was up, it wouldn't seem suspicious. She quietly padded back to the warriors den, but paused as she saw a shadow creeping along the camp wall. For a second she wondered if it was Peaches, just gone out for a walk, and coming back, but she caught the scent of her friend instead. "Watereyes!" she hissed. The blue tabby stopped and padded over to Mossfire. "Mossfire?" she meowed, "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Mossfire retorted. She sniffed the air and found that Watereyes' scent was strange somehow. It was the same scent she always had, but it seemed different now, like it had another scent with it, but she could put her claw on it. Mossfire shook her head and asked again. "So what are you doing up?"

Watereyes flicked her ears and meowed, "I couldn't sleep, so I was walking around."

"Did you make the hole in the wall?" Mossfire asked. She thought she had smelled Peaches scent, but she could have been mistaken due to the time of night, and how tired she was. "What hole?" Watereyes asked, obviously not knowing anything about it. "Oh, never mind." Mossfire mewed, not wanting to get worked up over what seemed to be nothing. Watereyes just shrugged and looked at her quizzically. "What were you doing up?"

"I thought I heard something, but I must have been mistaken." Mossfire meowed. The more and more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that it was just her imagination. Either way, she would still tell Spottedpaw in the morning. Watereyes nodded and turned to the warriors den. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm tired." she meowed, stifeling a yawn. Mossfire smirked and caught up with her. "I thought you just said you couldn't sleep?" she teased her friend. Watereyes just shrugged and simply answered, "I couldn't, but now I can." Mossfire smiled to herself and followed Watereyes into the den. She found her nest next to Birchstorm and curled up again. She wanted to think on some things, but as soon as she closed her eyes, she found herself in a peaceful sleep.


End file.
